Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Songstress Carole King stumps for Democrat Ed Markey's U.S. Senate campaign in Springfield

Democratic U.S. Rep. and U.S. Senate hopeful Edward Markey gestures toward former state Rep. Linda Melconian, D-Springfield, during a visit with his supporters on May 12, 2013. (Staff Photo by Robert Rizzuto)

Variety Magazine reported that Markey will be holding a fundraiser at the Beverly Hills home of Haim and Cheryl Saban this Sunday, with tickets starting at $1,000 per person. The website Deadline Hollywood also noted the event.

Markey is facing Republican private equity investor Gabriel Gomez in a June 25 special election.

The Sabans are major Democratic donors, who have donated millions of dollars to Democratic committees and politicians. Forbes Magazine reported that Haim Saban made billions of dollars working in television, beginning when he transformed the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers into a global brand. He is friends with former Democratic president Bill Clinton. Politico reported that Haim Saban donated $1 million to Democratic super PACs in 2012, and Democratic President Barack Obama appointed Cheryl Saban as the U.S. representative to a session of the United Nations General Assembly.

There is no word on the guest list. But California’s entertainment industry has been backing Markey. As MassLive.com previously reported, Markey’s donors have included Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg; chairman of Walt Disney Studios Alan Horn and his wife Cindy Horn, who founded an organization aimed at coordinating the entertainment industry’s response to global environmental crises; and California documentary writer and producer Laurie Benenson.

Markey spokesman Andrew Zucker said, "Campaigns cost money, and this is no different than what Gabriel Gomez or any other candidate for Senate is doing, except that unlike Gomez, who is desperately trying to distract from his support for the national Republican agenda that opposes a ban on assault weapons, a woman's right to choose and Social Security, Markey is proud of his record of fighting for Massachusetts families."

This story has been updated to include a quote from the Markey campaign.